


Noaptea în București

by JetBlackGoldfish



Category: Political RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22885108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetBlackGoldfish/pseuds/JetBlackGoldfish
Summary: Muammar spends a weekend with Nicolae in Romania. On the last night of Muammar's visit, Nicolae meets another side of Muammar
Relationships: Nicolae Ceaușescu/Muammar al-Gaddafi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Noaptea în București

Muammar's weekend in Bucharest had been perfect - OK, not exactly, but perfect enough for him. He and his Romanian habibi had tried out the new volleyball courts, and later relaxed with a game of chess on Nicolae's new chessboard, a gift from their mutual Syrian friend, Hafez. Muammar had won the game, and this had made Nico sulky. After Nico had calmed down, they'd gone back outside, this time for a game of tennis - the day had been mainly overcast, but the warm summer sun had finally made an appearance, and Nicolae insisted on Muammar dressing 'properly' for this event. 

  
'Nico, I don't think it really matters what we wear for a little game of tennis,' Muammar said to Nico while standing outside the bathroom door. Muammar was wearing a white T-shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms. 

  
'Dragă, this is the first game of tennis that will be played on these courts by two heads of state,' Nicolae said, coming out of the bathroom, wearing a white polo shirt and white ripstop shorts. 'Does this look OK?' 

  
'You look perfect, habibi,' Muammar sighed, caressing Nico's cheek and kissing him. 

  
'And you look perfect too, draga mea,' Nico said, biting his lip and spanking Muammar as he walked ahead of him. 

  
That evening, they had enjoyed a dinner of cascaval pane and salată de cartofi (Romanian potato salad), with strawberry jam and cream cheese gogoși and chocolate amandine cakes for dessert, before going upstairs for a very passionate night. 

  
The next day had been a beautiful, sunny day - not a single cloud in the sky. After a breakfast of tara paine with blueberry jam, Muammar and Nicolae visited Herastrau Park, walking around the beautiful lake and enjoying lunch and an afternoon snack at nearby restaurants. As the evening approached, however, Muammar realised that after tomorrow morning, he wouldn't be seeing Nicolae again for another three months, and he wasn't sure he could handle missing him for that long. Both Nicolae and Muammar had confided in each other that some nights, they would cry and hug their pillows due to missing each other. Muammar would often tell Nicolae: 'We need to make the most of the moments we have together.' 

  
However, Muammar's own advice wasn't helping him right now, and he could not shake this painful, aching feeling. He was silent during the drive back to the palace, and barely said a thing during the evening meal, consisting solely of oven chips, one of Nicolae's favourites - aside from the traditional Romanian dishes. 

  
'You're very quiet, dragă,' Nico said while halfway through his crinkle cut oven chips. 

  
'Oh... I'm just thinking,' Muammar said, trying his best to smile confidently. Last night, both he and Nico had been laughing and talking enthusiastically while Nico sipped his wine, and Muammar had suggested that they should spend a quiet weekend together in the desert, and that he should make a mild shakshuka for them both to share. 

  
'I've really enjoyed today, dragă.' 

  
'So have I, habibi. It's been wonderful.' 

  
'Yes, it has. I shall treasure these memories for these next three months.' 

  
At these words, Muammar sighed and looked away from Nico, staring at the dining room curtains. He could feel his lip trembling and tears in his eyes, and took a deep breath. He turned back to Nico and ate the last few chips on his plate. 

  
'I've got a bit of a headache, Nico. I think I'm going to go to bed.' 

  
'But it's still early, Muammar - ' 

  
'I know, but I need sleep. Goodnight,' Muammar said, leaving the room. 

  
Nico felt like something was wrong, but decided that he would check up on Muammar later. Maybe, if he really did have a headache, then he just needed a quick nap, Nico thought, nibbling his chips. After eating his chips, and washing the plates and the cutlery, Nicolae decided to go up to bed too. 

  
He opened the bedroom door quietly and slowly, not wanting to wake Muammar up if he was asleep. He closed the door behind him, thinking that it was a very warm night, so he was just going to strip down to his underwear and get into bed... 

  
... but Nico could hear something. 

  
He walked over to the bed, and was shocked at what he saw. Muammar was lying in bed, hugging Nico's aloe vera pillow and sobbing. 

  
'Muammar? Dragă?' Nico asked, climbing onto the bed and wrapping his arms around him. 

  
'Don't touch me!' Muammar gasped in between sobs. 

  
'What? Why?!' Nico asked. It was dark in the bedroom, so Nico switched on a bedside lamp. He turned to face Muammar again, and begged 'Please, dragă, tell me what's wrong!'

  
'I have to get used to living without you!' Muammar gasped before sobbing even harder.

  
'What do you mean?!' Nico asked, removing his shirt and trousers to get more comfortable, and then hugging the shirtless Muammar tightly. Seeing and hearing Muammar sob like this broke Nicolae's heart, and a few tears streamed down his face, but he managed to calm himself. 

  
For a few minutes, Nicolae ran his fingers through Muammar's curly, jet-black hair, and softly rubbed his back. Finally, Muammar sobbed 'I can't cope with three months of missing you!' 

  
Nico sighed deeply. 'Muammar, you know I'm going to miss you too...' 

  
'Could you cope with missing me and crying into your pillow every night?' 

  
'No, dragostea mea,' Nico sighed. He was close to tears himself, but he managed to keep himself calm for Muammar's sake. 'Every night it breaks my heart into pieces, and I usually have to go into the bathroom and cry in there.' 

  
Muammar sobbed again. Nico just hugged Muammar again, and a few minutes later he said: 

  
'Dragă, you're always telling me that we have to make the most out of the moments we get together. I wish, more than anything else in the world, that I could spend my whole life with you... but we both have our countries, our people, our families, and they all need us. When you're lying there in bed, hugging your pillow, thinking about me... just remember that I will be missing you too, feeling exactly the same.' 

  
Muammar was still crying, but the sobs were slowly becoming less frequent. About four minutes later, the sobbing stopped. Nicolae continued hugging Muammar for another minute. When Muammar seemed much calmer, Nico let go of Muammar and said 'I'll be back in a few minutes.' He hastily put on his luxury, British-made, maroon dressing gown, and headed for the kitchen, leaving the bedroom door ajar. When he was in the kitchen, he put the kettle on and opened one of the cupboards, which he knew always contained various boxes of herbal teas... 

  
Meanwhile, Muammar was still hugging Nico's aloe vera pillow tightly. _These past couple of days have been perfect, and I ruined it all..._

  
A few minutes later, Nicolae came back with two cups and saucers. 'Sorry, dragă, there wasn't any mint tea in Elena's tea cupboard, so I made camomile tea instead, because it says 'calming' on the box...' 

  
Muammar nodded in approval - he was just happy that Nicolae had made him a cup of tea. Nico placed one cup on Muammar's bedside table, and the other on his bedside table. Both took a quick sip, put the cups back and Nico walked away again, this time into the bathroom. He came back just seconds later, with a tissue box and a bottle of green gel. He removed his dressing gown and climbed into bed, again hugging Muammar tightly. This time, Muammar hugged back. 

  
Nico had never seen Muammar like this. His eyes were red and his face was blotchy and stained with tears. 

  
'Oh dragă...' Nico sighed. He took three tissues out of the box and handed them to Muammar. Muammar blew his nose with one of them, and cleaned up his face with the other two. Nico picked the scrunched-up tissues up and threw them into the nearest wastepaper basket - he was very paranoid about germs and illnesses, but right now he kept these fears to himself. If he started a fuss about the possibility of getting a very mild illness, just from Muammar drying his tears away, then it would have upset Muammar even more. 

  
Nico went to wash his hands, then went back to bed, hugging Muammar again. After a minute or two, Muammar spoke: 'I'm sorry, Nico, I ruined it.' 

  
'Ruined what, dragă?' 

  
'Everything.' 

  
'Muammar, you didn't ruin anything!' Nico said. 

  
'But everything was perfect...' 

  
'But dragă, none of those perfect moments would have ever happened without you! Without you, I'd probably just be working in the office day and night, or being nagged at all evening... you, dragă mea, made all of those perfect moments happen!' There was a pause, before Nico said 'From now on, if you have something on your mind, something troubling you, you tell me straight away, and don't keep it bottled up inside. OK?' 

  
'OK... but the same applies for you.' 

  
'Yes, OK.' 

  
There was a silence for a while. Then, Muammar took a deep breath and asked 'What will you be doing these next few months?' 

  
'I have a lot to do, Muammar,' Nico replied. 'Next week, Elena and I are going to Cuba, and Zoia and Nicu are coming with us.' 

  
'Cuba...' Muammar sighed. 'What are you going to do there?' 

  
'We're going to meet Fidel, of course,' Nico smiled, 'and watch some Cuban performances, drink some rum - not too much - and maybe enjoy the beautiful Cuban beaches and Havana cafes.' 

  
'I'd love to visit Cuba,' Muammar sighed, 'but it's too dangerous - Fidel and me are prime targets, so he always has to come to Libya. How long will you be there?' 

  
'Three days,' Nico said. 'It's a shame you can't see Cuba, but we'll all get to see each other soon - you, me, Hafez, Fidel...' 

  
'At Tito's big Halloween party...' 

  
'Yes - even if Tito is a piece of rahat, and cheats at hunting...' 

  
'But you like Jovanka...' 

  
Nico blushed a bright red. He wanted to change the subject now. He saw the green gel on the bedside table and took it, opening the lid. 

  
'You need some aloe vera gel for your beautiful face, dragă...' 

  
Muammar didn't exactly feel beautiful right now, but he sat up and sipped some more camomile tea. The duvet slipped off him a little, and Nicolae could tell that Muammar was completely naked. Nico squeezed a small blob of aloe vera gel onto his finger and asked 'Are you ready, dragă?' 

  
'Yes.' 

  
Nico gently rubbed some aloe vera gel just below Muammar's eyes. 'You have such beautiful dark eyes, Muammar, and they're so shiny.' 

  
Muammar blushed a very light pink. 'Your eyes are very shiny and beautiful, habibi...' 

  
'B-but they're b-black...' 

  
'... and they're very shiny and beautiful. They look like the night sky.' 

  
Nicolae blushed too. He put some more aloe vera gel on his finger and rubbed that just under Muammar's eyes again. 'Your eyelashes are so long...' 

  
'I've had Western journalists say they think I'm wearing eyeliner...' 

  
'They're just jealous of you and how pretty you are, dragă...' 

  
Nicolae now put more aloe vera gel on his hand, rubbed his hands together and very gently massaged Muammar's cheeks, very gently running his fingers along his cheekbones. 

  
'Your hair is also very shiny, and I love the tight curls,' Nico sighed. He was tempted to put some aloe vera gel in Muammar's hair, but he almost certainly was not in the mood for washing, towel drying, brushing, combing, hair drying, then brushing and combing it again, everything he had to do to have his hair looking its very best. Instead, Nico continued massaging Muammar's cheeks, rubbing in gentle circular motions. 'Muammar, I know I say this a lot, but you do spend a lot of time in an arid desert climate, and you really should moisturise your skin.' 

  
Muammar grimaced, and Nicolae was worried because he thought he'd upset him. To his surprise, Muammar picked up the aloe vera gel, squeezed some into his hand, rubbed his hands together and began to massage Nico's cheeks. 

  
'Your skin is so soft...' Muammar sighed. 'And I love your wavy hair...' 

  
'But it's g-grey now...' 

  
'And it looks perfect like that. Your hair is silver and wavy and looks like the waves of the sea.' 

  
Nico blushed a bright pink at these words. When Muammar had finished massaging Nico's cheeks, Nico began rubbing aloe vera gel on Muammar's chin and jawline. 

  
'You have the most perfect jawline,' Nico sighed. 'I wish I had one just like this...' 

  
'Nico habibi, I've seen the photos of you as a younger man, and you had a very good jawline back then.' 

  
'But I don't now...' 

  
'But you still look perfectly beautiful, habibi... your eyes, your hair, your lips, your skin...' Muammar also glanced down at Nico's lower body. 'Everything about you is absolutely perfect.'

  
Nico was almost a beetroot colour now, but luckily for him, Muammar had begun massaging Nico's chin and again, his blushed cheeks. 

  
'Everything?' 

  
'Everything. I wouldn't change a thing about my sweet and awkward Romanian habibi.' 

  
'What about when I upset you when I get all paranoid and sc-scared of things?' 

  
'That's because you're being filled with a fear of the world by everyone around you, my love.' Muammar was specifically referring to Nico's agents, but he knew about Elena's germaphobic ways too. 

  
Nicolae looked a little sad now, but Muammar stared into Nico's eyes and smiled warmly at him. Nico smiled a little too, and Muammar poured more aloe vera gel onto his hand, now rubbing it on Nico's chest, around where his heart was. 

  
_How did I get so lucky, to have this lovely and handsome man in my life?_ Nico thought, rubbing some gel on Muammar's chest too, around the same area. 

  
_Having this beautiful, sweet and awkward man in my life is a blessing,_ Muammar thought. They both giggled because the aloe vera gel was tickling them. After a little while, Nico said 'I think that's enough now, dragă.' 

  
Both men smiled at each other and stared into each others' eyes. Muammar kissed Nico's forehead and lay back down on the bed. Nico lay down too, next to Muammar, again staring at him. Seconds later, Nicolae embraced Muammar very tightly. 

  
'I love you, dragă, my big, brave, beautiful man! You're the kindest, sweetest, most thoughtful person I've ever met - and also the most handsome. I admired you for so long, and I still do, and always will. I'm so happy to have you in my life.' 

  
Muammar smiled widely, and, a few seconds later, he embraced Nicolae tightly too. 

  
'I love you, habibi, my big, brave, beautiful man! You've been through so much... so, so much, in your life, and despite everything, you're still a sweetheart who will do anything for the people you love.' 

  
Muammar sighed, remembering his very first night in Bucharest. That first evening had been very romantic, but that night, just after Muammar had announced that he was going to shower and get ready for bed, Nicolae had grabbed Muammar by the elbows and said 'Dragă, there are some things that I need to tell you!' 

  
Later, while cuddling in bed, Nicolae had told Muammar all about his difficult childhood, his experiences in prison, and his insecurities. Muammar had listened patiently as Nicolae sobbed in his arms, and Muammar told Nico how he had survived all of those difficult times, and that he loved everything that Nico was insecure about. 

  
Now, in the exact same bed, Nico had cuddled Muammar and comforted him when he was upset. Several minutes later, Nico caressed Muammar's cheek and said: 

  
'Your skin feels so soft, dragă. I think tomorrow morning should be nice and relaxing... I'll show you the swimming pool and spa that's being built.'

  
'Do you really need those things, habibi?' 

  
'Yes, Muammar,' Nico replied. 'I have to look after my health. You know I'm diabetic...' 

  
'If you took insulin, it would help you more...' 

  
' **No** ,' Nicolae said firmly. After a short silence, Nico yawned and said 'Maybe it's about time that we got some sleep.' 

  
'Yes,' Muammar sighed, kissing Nico's lips. They kissed for around fifteen seconds, and Muammar said 'Goodnight, habibi'. He dropped the tear-soaked pillow onto the floor and put Nico's aloe vera pillow in its place. He rested his head on it and looked at Nico, whose eyes looked a little more shiny now. 

  
'Is something wrong, Nico?' Muammar asked. 

  
Nicolae remembered what he'd said to Muammar about talking about how he felt, blushed a light pink and said 'Oh... I-I was h-hoping... that... you could sleep on my chest tonight.' 

  
Muammar grinned and said 'Of course!' He and Nicolae moved up to the centre of the bed. Nicolae took the aloe vera pillow and rested his head on that, and Muammar rested his head on Nico's chest. 

  
'Noapte buna iubirea mea,' Nico sighed, gently stroking Muammar's hair. 

  
'Tasabihin ealaa khayr ya habiy,' Muammar sighed. 

  
'Te iubesc foarte mult...' 

  
'Ahbk 'aydaan...' Muammar said with a yawn. 

  
Soon, Muammar was sleeping peacefully, but Nicolae was still awake. He was feeling very pensive, looking down at Muammar as he slept. Nico thought Muammar looked particularly beautiful right now. 

  
Yes, the long distances were very painful, especially when lying awake in bed at night. Yes, it hurt that they couldn't see each other very often, and yes, it hurt that they couldn't live their lives together. 

  
But Muammar was right - they had to make the most out of the moments they had together. Nicolae would have loved to live somewhere quiet and beautiful with Muammar, somewhere that was both rural and coastal, perhaps. However, this would never be possible, but the midnight walks in Nico's garden, the strolls around Bucharest and Tripoli, exploring Herastrau Park, Romanian forests and beaches, or the Libyan desert, eating their weight in gogoși and chocolate, attending parties held by other heads of state, and of course, the more private moments, were all treasured memories for both of them, and they both hoped for as many more of these moments as possible. 

  
_Tomorrow we'll get to see how the swimming pool, spa and hydrotherapy room are coming along... who knows, maybe we'll get to try them out..._

  
Nicolae switched off the bedside lamp and before long, he fell asleep too, amongst Muammar's body heat and the cool scent of aloe vera. While asleep, he would dream of himself and his Libyan dragă, dreaming of the many adventures they could have, dreaming of them truly being together. 


End file.
